Be Courageous

We Are Going To Be Friends

This song entry to National Novel Writing month is the White Stripes song “We Are Going to Be Friends” also sung by Jack Johnson for the Curious George movie soundtrack. It’s a simple story, I hope you like it.

Mom came from the corner store with paper bags filled to brim. Her face was stressed and so I helped her with the bags.

“Kid, you’re my ticket to the poor house,” she scoffed.

I helped her unpack the bags; shoes, pens, a coat and a school uniform. I tried not to look excited as I opened each item. Back to school was coming.

I said thank you because I think that’s what she expected as took the new items to my room.

That night I couldn’t sleep. The school bell echoed in my brain. School was my ticket to freedom, a chance to get out of the house from Mom and her abusive boyfriends.

Before the sun was up I had on my new uniform, had my bag backed and was ready to go. I knew it was hours before school was ready but I didn’t care.

Mom was snoring on the couch. I poked at her and whispered I was going to school. She moved slightly so I guessed she heard me. I didn’t want to wake her too much or she’d yell at me.

I jumped the fence in our yard and I was free. I wanted to crush every leaf on my way to school in triumph. I found a big oak tree in the park and gathered up the leaves and jumped in the pile.

“What are you doing?” a girls voice said.

I looked up to see a dark-haired girl with short pigtails. Her squashed face looked like a doll’s face. She was beautiful, for a girl.

“Can I jump too?” she asked.

I nodded and re-made the pile of leaves.

We jumped and screeched and giggled.

“My name is Suzy Lee” she said.

I nodded.

“Look a roly poly!” she said.

We dug up the ground with sticks looking for my rolly poly’s, worms and ants.

“We should get to school,” she said. “Will you walk with me?”

I nodded.

We safely walked to school without a sound.

When we arrived it still wasn’t time for school. The classroom’s were empty and the halls echoed. Suzy sat at the teacher’s desk as we played school. I got an “A” for listening but was in trouble for the dirt on my uniform.

Suzy said we should clean up. She picked the leaves out of my hair while I washed the dirt off. Then we heard kids starting to fill the halls.

“Time for school!” Suzy exclaimed.

Suzy and I were in the same class, we sat side by side. I learned that she had moved here from Washington DC which is not a state. Teacher had us work on our numbers and letters and I learned that school was not spelled skool.

At playtime Suzy and I played catch and looked for more bugs before the teacher yelled at us.

The teacher marked our head against the wall. I was shorter than Suzy by a few inches but the teacher said not to worry, I’d grow tall and strong.

“Teacher?” I asked “Will I sing pretty like Suzy Lee one day?”

“I think you mean to say, ‘One day will I sing as pretty as Suzy Lee?’”

I nodded having no idea the difference.

“If you work at it, Jack, anything is possible.” The Teacher said.

It felt as soon as school had started it was over.

I walked Suzy home.

That night thoughts of bugs and the alphabet ran though my head. I hoped when I woke up that Suzy and I would walk together again because I think we are going to be friends.